Lady Outlaws
by Josette Smith
Summary: Chris and Ezra encounter a trio of Lady Outlaws while transporting a shipment of gold en route to the Denver mint. They are taken captive by the three women and forced to help rob a bank.


**Lady Outlaws**

**By Josette Smith**

Disclaimer: The characters in this story from the "Magnificent Seven" are owned by MGM. The other characters are my own creation. No profit is made from this story.

A special thanks to Angie, the wonderful Beta who helped me improve my story so much.

*************************************************************

Chris Larabee sat on the front porch outside of the Standish Tavern finishing his first cup of morning coffee. The sun was coming up over the horizon and the town of Four Corners was just beginning to come to life. He looked up to see Vin Tanner approaching with a folded piece of paper in his hand. "How did patrol go last night?" he asked.

"Everything was quiet as a church mouse," Vin replied. "Say, Mary gave me this here telegram to give you. She says it's from the Judge."

Chris accepted the telegram and unfolded it to view its contents. "It appears the Judge wants a couple of us to guard a gold shipment in route to the Denver mint."

"Want me to go along?"

Chris paused to consider it a moment. "Naw, maybe I'll take Ezra. He needs to get off his ass and help out. Ever since he bought back his damn saloon that's all he cares about. You stay here an see ta things while we're gone."

"Sure thing. When will ya be leavin'?"

"Judge says a detachment of cavalry officers will be bringing the gold in this far sometime tomorrow. Apparently they aren't available to guard it the whole way. We take it from here by stage to the train."

"How much gold are we talking about?"

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000."

"That's one hell of a lot of money," said Vin. "Are you SURE you want to take Ezra along? You remember what happened with the $10,000 blood money that belonged to the Stuz's," he joked.

"Yeah, I won't be forgettin' that any time soon," laughed Chris, "but I think he learned his lesson and when it counted he really came through for us. Without him Mary wouldn't be alive today."

*************************************************************

The next day around noon the detachment of cavalry arrived with their valuable shipment in tow. Captain Samuel Jacobs, a tall, muscular, dark-haired man in his forties, dismounted his large Appaloosa and climbed the steps to the jail. Inside, J.D. Dunne sat behind the desk with his feet propped up.

"Can you please tell me where I can find a Mr. Chris Larabee, young man?" Captain Jacobs asked.

"He's expecting you, Captain," said J.D., hurriedly taking his feet down and standing up. "He should be back any minute now. Can I get you a cup of coffee while you wait?"

"Not necessary," replied Jacobs.

A few minutes later, Chris walked up to the door with Ezra at his elbow.

"Mr. Larabee, just what is this all about?" the gambler inquired. "I'm expecting several of my colleagues to arrive in town tonight for a poker game with a considerable amount of funds for the pot."

"I need help guarding a load of gold from here to the train on its way to the Denver mint," stated Chris, "and it's your turn."

"Did I hear you correctly? Did you say gold? Just how much gold are we talking about?"

"Yes gold, $100,000 worth, so keep quiet about it. We don't want every yahoo west of the Mississippi coming after it."

Upon entering the jail they found Captain Jacobs and J.D engaged in conversation.

"Captain Jacobs? I'm Chris Larabee. Judge Travis sent a telegram informing me of your arrival. I take it your cargo is outside with your detachment?"

"Actually, I need to talk to you about that," replied the Captain. "There has been a change of plans. We have decided to use you and your associate as decoys. We will be escorting the gold to the train ourselves, using another route. You will proceed as planned. We have an empty strong box outside to be used as the decoy. One of you will sit up top and ride shotgun while the other stays inside the coach. We have inside information that the Clint Davis gang is planning to hold up the stage, so we're hoping to lure them in and catch them in the act."

"Just how many are in this Clint Davis gang?"

"Three members are all we're aware of," answered Jacobs. "I've heard of you and your men, Mr. Larabee, and I have complete confidence you and your partner here can handle them alright. We expect them to hit around Devil's Pass so we'll have some extra soldiers waiting to take them off your hands when you get to the train. If you leave now you should arrive around noon tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Chris said with a nod. "Ezra, you ready to leave?"

"Mr. Larabee, I have a business to see to. I can't just run off at a moments notice."

"Don't worry, Ezra. Buck and I can look after things at the saloon," volunteered J.D. "And Inez is there to help."

"And who, pray tell will look after things at the jail if you do, Mr. Dunne?" the gambler asked irately.

"Vin and Josiah will be available for that. I've already talked to them," Chris stated firmly.

"It would seem I have no argument for staying then," reasoned the con man.

*************************************************************

Moments later the stage pulled out with Chris riding shot gun and Ezra inside the coach. The horses started out at a good clip, but the sun was high and bright and the day's heat eventually slowed them down.

"Were going to have to stop at the relay station up ahead to rest and water the horses," exclaimed the driver. "It will mean a bit of a detour but I think it's necessary."

"I don't like the idea of making last minute changes in our plans," shouted Chris above the gallop of the horses.

"It's just a couple of miles beyond that bend," yelled the driver.

The blond thought about it and knew there was no choice. "Let's do it."

*************************************************************

Atop the hill in the distance sat three riders partially hidden behind a clump of trees.

"Zee, are you sure you got your information right? That stage should have been here by now," asked one of the three worriedly.

"Of course I am! Clint Davis always talks in his sleep after he's been drinking," replied the leader of the trio as she wiped the sweat from her brow and pushed back her long blonde hair. Off in the distance the stage came into view. "There! There's the stage we're waitin' for!"

"Yep, $100,000 riding right into our laps!" remarked the third rider named Starr, a fiery red-head, as she slapped at her thigh.

"Remember, no one gets hurt, you promised, Zee. I can't stand it when someone we hold up gets hurt," cried the worrier.

"Oh Brooke, Pull your pretty little self together and stop fretting over folks getting' hurt," exclaimed Starr, "Nobody's ever worried about us!"

"But last time—"

"Last time our mark pulled a gun, we didn't have a choice. We do what we have to," replied Zee coolly. "Okay, here it comes; on my signal, we ride!"

As the stage rounded the bend the three lady outlaws raced down the hill wildly firing their guns. One of the shots hit the driver in the center of his forehead and he slumped forward. Before Chris could react, the horses barreled out of control causing the coach to sway and snapping the hitch that held the horses harnessed to it. The coach righted itself and catapulted helplessly off the side of the road and down the steep embankment while the horses, still harnessed to the broken hitch, stampeded on down the road. The stage bounced and jolted down the steep gradient all the way to the bottom of the canyon, tipping over on its side when it reached the base of the hill. If good fortune had been smiling on him, Chris would have been thrown clear, but instead, he was dropped painfully to the ground just seconds before the heavy wagon landed on top of him pinning him underneath. At the same moment, the door of the coach flew open and threw Ezra face down onto the ground, clear of the coach but knocking him out cold. After several moments the dust settled around them and the three bandits cautiously made their way down the hill.

"Are they alive?" inquired Starr, dismounting and making her way towards the injured men.

"The one you shot ain't!" retorted Zee, angrily leaning over the dead driver. "Where'd the strong box get off to?"

"Yeah, well it looked like they were gonna get away from us and I had to stop them somehow!"

"You could have just winged him!"

"Yeah, well….it was an accident," remarked the redhead.

With that Chris moaned.

"Okay this one's still alive," Zee exclaimed as she made her way toward Chris. "Help me get him out from under the coach. Get your horse; we'll need it to help pull the coach off.'

"Why should we help him? He's no trouble to us where he's at."

"Just do it Starr!" yelled Zee.

Without saying a word, Brooke dismounted and walked over to Ezra. "This one's still breathin' too but I think he's hurt bad," she remarked.

"Come on, we need help over here, Brooke!"

Fortunately, most of the weight of the coach had fallen atop a nearby boulder preventing Chris from being severely injured. Between the three of them and with the help of Starr's horse they were able to raise the coach a few inches and pull Chris free. "Okay, now what?" questioned Starr sarcastically.

"Find the strong box…there it is," pointed Zee.

Starr walked towards the box, pulled her gun and shot the lock. When it snapped away, she reached down and opened the lid. "It's empty!" she screamed angrily kicking the box, "I can't believe it, it's empty! All this for nothing!"

"No, it can't be!" cried Zee. "I know that information was good!"

Chris moaned again drawing the attention of all three women.

"Alright, wise guy, where's the gold?" Zee sneered standing over Chris.

Chris smiled weakly. "There isn't any, lady. You've been had!"

Zee was livid with anger.

"Where were Clint and his bunch supposed to hit it?" Brooke asked.

"At Devils Pass. By now they know it ain't comin'. Come on, let's figure out what we're gonna do with these two and get out of here before someone spots us."

"You know, they ain't too hard on the eyes. How 'bout we take them back with us and use them as love slaves," teased Starr. "It's been a long time since I've been with a man as good lookin' as these two!"

"No. We'll be bringing them back with us, but I got better plans for them," Zee said with a dangerous edge to her voice. "Much better plans. They're gonna help us when we take the bank in Cimarron. Brooke, go round up two of the horses from the stage. Starr, you keep an eye on these two while I find something to tie them up with."

The petite brunette obeyed and mounted up, galloping off after the horses that had spooked away during the accident, while Zee went over to investigate the contents of her saddle bags. All of the sudden Ezra moaned, catching Starr's attention. With both ladies attention diverted away, Chris cautiously and slowly lowered his hand down towards his gun and began to ease it out of the holster. Suddenly he heard a loud cracking sound, accompanied by an intense cutting pain coming from his hand. Chris yelped as his gun catapulted away. Looking up, he saw Starr glaring down at him and swinging a bull whip. "Don't try that again or you'll be missing a hand!" she shrieked. Chris looked down to see his hand covered with blood.

A short time later Brooke rode in with two horses in tow. Zee had found some rawhide strips in her saddle bags and proceeded to tie Chris's hands. "Can you stand?" she questioned Chris.

"No," he moaned, "my legs feel numb."

"Help me get him up on one of the horses," she snapped.

"Wait!" cried out Brooke, "If he has a back injury, you could make it worse. He really needs to be moved carefully. It would be best to get a buckboard to move these two. I saw a farm off in the distance, maybe we can get one from there."

"Ok, but hurry," replied the blonde leader. "I'll go check on the other one. Keep an eye on him," she nodded toward Chris, "he's a tricky one." She made her way towards Ezra, who was still unconscious, and knelt down beside him, carefully turning him over. "Shit!" she exclaimed, "this one's got a bullet in him." She pulled away Ezra's bloody jacket to reveal a blood soaked area in his right side.

"Must have been a ricochet," the redhead commented.

"Not likely," remarked Zee, "more likely another one of your accidents! He's bleeding badly; we'll have to cauterize it.

Before long Brooke returned with the stolen buckboard driven by her horse. Together the three lady bandits loaded the two bound men on to the back of the buckboard and started off.

*************************************************************

Clint Davis cursed under his breath. "Where's that God damn stage? It should have been here by now!"

"Maybe they got wise and changed their route at the last minute," replied a tough-looking, tall, dark haired rider named Virgil.

"They had no cause to suspect anything!" Clint retorted.

"So do we go look for it or what?" asked a scruffy looking rider with an eye patch referred to as One-eyed Jack.

"It's starting to get dark, we'll have to wait till tomorrow," replied Clint with an impatient tone.

*************************************************************

The three lady outlaws arrived back at their hideout, an abandoned cabin up in the hills, with their two prisoners just at dusk. About that time thunder rumbled in the distance. "Looks like we're in for it," said Starr.

"Good," Zee replied," It will wash out all of our tracks. Come on, let's get these two inside."

Once inside the cabin the rain began to pour. Ezra had drifted in and out of consciousness the entire trip back. Brooke was the only one with any medical experience. She had assisted her uncle who was a doctor back in Kansas when she was growing up. It had been her dream to become one of the first women doctors some day. Her uncle had even bought her a medical kit to encourage her. She removed Ezra's shirt and examined his wound. "We have to get the bullet out and stop the bleeding. Zee, bring me that bottle of laudanum we have and start a fire. We need to boil some water so I can sterilize the instruments I need to remove the bullet."

Zee complied and brought the bottle of laudanum then started the fire and went outside to put up the horses. Ezra started to regain consciousness but Brooke was able to get some of the laudanum down him to sedate him enough so she could perform the needed surgery. With the instruments now sterile and his hands tied to the bed posts to keep him from moving she proceeded to probe for the bullet. Ezra began to writhe in pain with the probing but Brooke soon found the bullet and was able to remove it. By now Ezra had lost a considerable amount of blood. "Ok, now the fun begins," she said with hesitation, "I need to cauterize it." She removed a bullet from her holster and using a pair of pliers removed the cap from the cartridge. Carefully she poured the gunpowder over the bloody, exposed wound. Striking a match she lit the gunpowder; as it flared up Ezra screamed in pain. "Ok, now we need to keep him quiet and make sure to get some water down him, he's burning up with fever and we need to bring his temperature down. Starr, take over here and use a sponge and some water to cool him down. I'm going check on the blond gunfighter."

She moved to the next bunk to check on Chris. Zee had tied Chris to the bed as well not trusting him even in his weakened condition. "Ok cowboy lets see what kind of condition you're in," said Brooke.

"Don't call me cowboy!" snorted Chris.

"Alright then, stud!" she replied. "Let's check you out."

"The name's Chris," he answered. "How's Ezra? Is he alright?"

"He'll make it," replied the lady healer.

Brooke removed Chris's shirt and started to unfasten his pants. At this Chris jerked away stopping her. "Everything's ok down there!" he said quickly. "What are you some doctor or something?"

"I do have some medical experience; my uncle was a doctor back in Kansas and I used to help him out. Now how am I supposed to check your legs with you pants on?" she questioned.

"They're alright; the feeling is starting to return already."

"Ok, what about those ribs? They're mighty bruised up."

Chris flinched as Brooke began to push gently on his chest.

"Nothing appears to be broken, but you may have some cracked ribs. About the only thing I can do is to apply some salve and bandage them tightly. I can give you some laudanum for the pain," she added. "I'll clean up these scrapes and scratches on your face and they should heal nicely on their own. You're lucky; you could have been hurt much worse with that coach coming down on top of you. Fortunately for you, that boulder it landed on kept its full weight off you." She noticed the deep gash in his hand caused by Starr's bullwhip. "I'll clean and bandage your hand too; you won't want to try using a gun for a while with that hand, it will be much too sore."

Once Chris was bandaged up and had some laudanum in him, he drifted off to sleep.

Zee returned from putting up the horses. "I'll take first watch over these two, you ladies get some sleep," she said.

When morning came Ezra finally regained full consciousness. His face and chest were covered with scrapes and bruises and his side throbbed from the gunshot wound but his fever seemed to have broken. Soon Brooke entered the room to check on his condition. "How are you feeling?" she asked sitting down on the bed beside him. As she leaned over him to examine the cauterized wound he couldn't help but notice the curve of her breasts swelling up over the top of the tight leather vest she wore. Her long raven hair hung loose about her petite shoulders and he took notice of her large blue eyes.

"Where am I? What happened? he asked groggily. "I feel dreadful."

"Your stagecoach was involved in a little accident. Here, drink some water," she offered, "you've had quite a bit of blood loss accompanied by fever and you're dehydrated. I'm going to make an herbal tea for you that should help as well."

Ezra stared at her for a long moment trying to focus. Weakly he lifted his head and accepted the water. "Now I'm beginning to remember," he stated after a long drink of the water, "You and two other women tried to hold up our stage."

"Yeah, only you two tricked us and there wasn't any gold."

"We were decoys and the gold was taken by another route."

Yeah, will you're gonna make it up to us," she replied sarcastically, "Zee will see to that."

Upon hearing the conversation between the two Zee and Starr both entered the room. Ezra was surprised at how attractive the three women were. Zee was a strikingly tall, beautiful, blue- eyed blonde and Starr was of average height with green eyes and long, wavy auburn hair. All three women wore tight- fitting black pants tucked into the tops of their boots along with form-fitting black leather vests without blouses under revealing their sensuous shapes. Each of the three carried a revolver in a tied-down holster belted around their hips.

"What's your name, good lookin'?" asked Zee.

"Ezra Standish," he replied, "You three hardly fit the typical description of your average highwaymen; what caused you to get in this line of work?"

"We have our reasons," answered Starr.

Across the room Chris began to stir. He opened his eyes and looked up at the women.

"How you feelin', cowboy?" questioned the blonde leader turning to look at Chris.

"Like Hell!" he replied.

Brooke made her way over to Chris to check out his injuries and gave him a long drink of water as well. "Zee, we're running low on laudanum, we only have enough for another day or so," she expressed worriedly.

"All right, you and I will make a trip into Cimarron tomorrow and pick up some supplies. I want to check out the bank there anyway," said Zee.

All day Chris and Ezra rested to try and regain their strength. They were kept tied to the bedposts for the most part, released only occasionally, one at a time so they could sit up and eat and during those times they were covered by a gun. Brooke attended to them both constantly giving them laudanum every few hours to ease their discomfort and help them rest. Ezra continued to fight bouts of fever on and off all day but the lady medic kept a close vigil on him continuously giving him water and herbal teas to drink and sponging him down to help diminish the fever. By the end of the day the fever broke completely and he began to improve dramatically.

The next morning the three lady desperados entered the room to check on their captives. "So how are they both doing, Brooke?" asked Zee.

"Mr. Standish is showing a lot of improvement," she said, "his fever has broken and his wound shows no signs of infection. All he needs now is rest and he'll be good as new in a few days. The same goes for Mr. Larabee."

"Good, you and I will make the trip into Cimarron as planned. Starr, you keep watch over them while were gone. See if you can get some more food and water down them so they don't die on us. Come on Brooke; let's put on something more lady-like. We don't want to be drawing too much attention to ourselves in town." With that the three ladies left the room.

"Mr. Larabee?" Ezra said weakly turning to look at Chris, "Do you have any idea as to what to do about our present predicament?"

"Yes." He replied hesitating.

"Well, I'm all ears, what do you have in mind?"

"Well…first of all…we need to somehow get our hands loose," said Chris, hesitating again, looking up at the bonds that held his hands and tugging at them.

"And then?"

"And then we need to somehow overpower those three beautiful bitches and get to the horses."

"Please continue with your brilliant escape plan Mr. Larabee, you have me on the edge of my seat," Ezra said sarcastically.

"Ezra, I just can't think clearly right now, give me some time."

Just then Zee and Brooke came back to the room once more before leaving. Both ladies had changed into dresses with low-cut fitted waistcoats, matching skirts and coordinating hats.

"Just what have you ladies got in mind for us?" questioned Chris.

"Well, since you made us lose out on that gold shipment, you're gonna help us rob the bank in Cimarron," sneered Zee.

"Fat chance of that," laughed Chris.

"Oh, you'll do it alright," Zee smiled, "All you need is a little incentive."

"Couldn't possibly find any," remarked Chris.

"You'll be going along with Starr and me to take the bank; Brooke will stay back here with your friend. If, for some reason, we don't return, she'll kill him. That's what I meant by incentive!"

Chris let out a deep breath. "Well, how about letting me sit up in a chair for a while?" he asked.

Sure thing," said Zee, "it's probably best to separate you two anyway. Cover him while I untie him Brooke."

Brooke flipped up her skirt to remove a hidden gun strapped to her slim, curvaceous thigh receiving a look of shock from the gunfighter. Zee removed the strips of rawhide that fastened Chris's hands to the bed posts. "Ok, you can get up now but no fast moves."

Chris was still stiff and sore and his cracked ribs caused him a sudden surge of pain as he tried to sit up. Slowly he walked to the outer room with Brooke covering him all the way.

"Ok, sit down there and put your hands behind you," said Zee motioning toward a chair. Chris lowered himself onto the chair and was quickly bound to it with his hands fastened behind him. With that Zee and Brooke left for town in the buckboard leaving Starr in charge of the two lawmen.

They arrived in town with the small amount of money they had removed from their two prisoners to buy their needed supplies. As they passed by the saloon they noticed a poker game in progress.

"Zee, we don't have enough; we need food, laudanum, bandages and at least a couple boxes of cartridges. Give me the money and I'll go double it in that poker game that's going on inside the saloon," said Brooke.

"Ok, take it; I'll go case out the bank and meet you back here in an hour," replied Zee taking out Ezra's pocket watch and noting the time.

The two ladies parted ways and Brooke made her way over to a table in the saloon with four middle-aged men at it. Clearing her throat to draw attention to herself she said "Excuse me gentlemen, is this seat taken?"

"No ma'am, but this is a poker game, not Parcheesi," replied a gray- haired, mustached gentleman appearing to be in his fifties. The other three men at the table chuckled at his comment.

"I'm well aware of that sir," said Brooke.

"We won't feel right about taking your money from you miss," stated another player who appeared to be around forty-five.

"And I won't feel one bit bad about takin' yours," retorted Brooke, swinging her drawstring purse and taking the vacant seat.

*************************************************************

Zee entered the bank and walked toward the teller behind the counter. "Hello sir," she stated politely, trying to give off an appearance of being a woman of society, "I'm new in town and need to open an account so I can transfer a large sum of money from my bank in Denver; however, I worry about banks getting robbed and wonder if I'd be better off just keeping it were it is. Can you tell me if this bank is safe?"

"Yes ma'am," the teller smiled, admiring her beauty and taking notice of the low cut of her dress. "Our vault is of the latest design; it can't be opened by manipulating the tumblers. Even the ranchers who will be making a big deposit on Friday after the sale of their cattle have complete confidence in our bank. If you'd like to wait, our bank manager, Mr. Horace Stanley, will be back any moment now and he will be happy to show you around."

"Why yes, I believe I will wait," she replied.

*************************************************************

As the poker game commenced Morgan, the gray haired-mustached gentleman drew a card and raised.

"I believe I'll call you and raise you what I have right here in front of me," stated Brooke in a delicate lady like voice.

A look of surprise came across Morgan's face, "I hope you know what you're doing ma'am."

"I usually do," she replied.

Morgan placed his cards on the table in front of him. "Full house," he said.

Brooke paused briefly before laying down her hand "Royal flush," said the con lady pleased with herself.

"No way!" shouted Morgan, "there's no way you could have come up with that hand!"

"Why mister, that sounds a little bit like you think I cheated," she stated coldly. In a flash she pulled a derringer from her purse and pointed it directly at Morgan. "You said that nice and loud mister, now I hope you don't keep me waiting too long for an apology!"

"I—I apologize," Morgan quickly replied.

"Why thank you!" Brooke replied gathering up the money and putting it inside her purse while continuing to point the derringer at the poker players. "I hate to be leaving so soon but I do have things to attend to. You gentlemen have a good day now!" she said and quickly exited the saloon.

Outside Brooke saw Zee just leaving the bank. "What did you find out about the bank?" she asked.

"It's got an alarm system and we'll have to use nitro but the cattle ranchers are making a big deposit on Friday so we wait until then. Let's pick up the supplies and get back; I don't want to leave Starr by herself for too long."

*************************************************************

Inside the sheriff's office back in Four Corners J.D. was opening the morning mail. Just then Vin walked in holding a telegram. "We just received word that Chris and Ezra never made it to the train. I'm going ta ride out that way and see if I can find any sign of them," he said, "I'll most likely be gone a day or two."

"Maybe the stage broke an axle or something," stated J.D. while looking over the latest wanted posters that had arrived in a large envelope. "Vin, look at this; lady outlaws." JD handed over a poster that read: WANTED FOR STAGE COACH ROBBERY; ZEE KENDRICKS GANG; $5000 REWARD.

*************************************************************

Starr sat at the table cleaning her gun while a pot of beans began bubbling over the fire.

Chris eyed her curiously. With his hands tied behind him he was able to work the ropes loose that held him bound to the chair.

"What're you starin' at?" she demanded.

"Just wondering how a pretty lady like you and your two friends got involved in holding up stages," he said.

Starr thought for a moment. "My father died when I was five years old. We were dirt poor and my mother worked day and night trying to put food on the table for the two of us. When I turned fifteen she remarried. He seemed like a nice man at first but after a few months he decided my mother didn't satisfy him in bed and he wanted someone younger and prettier so he turned to me. He threatened to kill me if I ever told anyone. One night I just couldn't take it anymore. He was drunk and came after me. I grabbed his gun and killed him. After that I ran away."

"I'm sorry," Chris said soberly, "sounds like the bastard got what he deserved. What happened to your mother?"

"She took sick two years ago and died."

"Sounds like you've had a hard life but I still don't understand why you ran. What you did was in self defense."

"I was scared out of my mind. I just wanted to get away from there."

"Are those beans about ready?" Chris inquired, "I'm getting hungry."

"Shut your trap, I'm bringing em," she answered lazily. She laid down the unfinished revolver, walked over to the fire and dished up a plate of beans. Walking over to the table she put the plate down and proceeded to sit herself at the table so she could feed him. Awaiting this opportunity Chris lunged at her, tipping the table over and knocking her backwards onto the floor close to the fireplace. He dove forward landing directly on top of her, overpowering her. "Well, what now?" she asked giggling, delighted at the unexpected position she found herself in with the handsome gunfighter.

"Now, you're going to untie my hands!" he screamed.

Suddenly a gun shot exploded into the room and Chris looked up to see Zee holding a smoking revolver in her hand. Seconds later her image faded into darkness as he felt a sharp blow to the side of his head. Zee looked down to see Starr holding her revolver by the barrel and the butt end covered with Chris's blood. It had flown off the overturned table and landed near the fireplace within her reach during the scuffle between the two.

"There was no reason to hit him!" Zee cried.

"I don't like it when someone gets the drop on me!" Starr retorted.

"When I first walked in I didn't get that impression," remarked Zee.

*************************************************************

Chris awoke hours later back in a different bedroom than the one he had occupied earlier. Looking around he tried to remember where he was and what had happened. His head ached something fierce as well as his chest and it hurt to breathe. He felt a bandage wrapped around his head and looked down to see his ribs bandaged as well. Another bandage was wrapped around his gun hand. Zee walked in holding a cup of water. "Here, drink some of this, it will help clear your head," she stated. She had left him untied this time since he had been out cold.

"What happened? Who are you?" he asked. Something about her seemed strangely familiar.

"Don't you remember?" asked Zee. Pausing to consider his memory loss must be due to the blow on his head caused by Star pistol whipping him earlier, she lied to him and said, "You were hurt when you were thrown from your horse."

He looked at her again studying her. "Are you my woman?" he asked.

Zee paused again to consider it for a moment and then replied "Yes, and this is our home."

Chris slowly sat up and sipped the cup of water. He looked out the window by the bed and saw a green pasture with five horses in it. "Do we raise horses?" he inquired.

"No, you'd better get some rest, you don't look well," she stated trying to change the subject.

He finished the cup of water and laid back down falling asleep almost immediately.

Zee left the room closing the door behind her.

"Is he gonna be ok?" inquired Starr with Brooke looking on.

"I think so, but he appears to have lost his memory. He doesn't know who he is or where he is. This could be beneficial in robbing the bank; we won't have to use force. I've convinced him he lives here and I'm his woman. I put some sleeping powders in the water he drank. He should be out for a while. We need to get his friend out of here before seeing him triggers his memory. You two take him down the hill to that old abandoned shack. Brooke, you can stay there with him."

*************************************************************

Chris slept through the night and awoke to the smell of morning coffee. He eased himself out of bed and walked to the outer room. Zee got up from the table. "Come sit at the table and I'll get you a cup of coffee and something to eat," she said. He sat down and she brought him a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of ham and eggs. Chris looked around the room still unsure of his whereabouts.

"You're going to have to help me refresh my memory," he said. "I still can't remember much."

"It's ok," she stated, "I'm Zee and you and I have been together for the past two years." Just then Starr entered the room. "This is Starr."

"And she is…?" questioned Chris.

Zee hesitated and the two women exchanged looks, "My sister," she finally said.

"How did I get all of these injuries?" he inquired looking down at the bandages.

Again Zee hesitated. "You were shot at while we were escaping after holding up a stage,'" she finally said. "That's what we do for a living. You fell after your horse was shot out from under you, that's how you hurt your ribs and you hit your head on a rock. You cut your hand up trying to grab a knife away from one of the men you were fighting in the holdup."

Chris was shocked at her statement. "We're outlaws?" he cried.

"Yes, and we're good at it," she said.

"Outlaws!" Chris exclaimed again, "How? Why?"

"You and I had a small ranch back in Amarillo, Texas," she lied. "Our neighbor who had a large spread tried to get you to sell our property to him. When you refused he framed you for cattle rustling. There was a trial and you were convicted and sentenced to hang. I was able to break you out but you insisted on revenge and killed the rancher. We made good our escape and found this place and have been in hiding ever since."

Chris quietly pondered what he had just heard. He had finished eating and said, "Think I'll go outside and get some fresh air."

"I'll go with you," stated Zee, not trusting him to be alone by himself, "I need to gather some more firewood."

*************************************************************

Clint Davis sat on his horse and looked over the site of the wrecked coach. He stepped down and examined the dead driver. "Who ever did this got off one lucky shot," he stated. "Dead center, right between the eyes."

"Who else could have known about the gold shipment and where we were gonna hit it?" exclaimed Virgil.

Clint paused to consider it. "I know who," he finally said, "Zee. She spent the night two weeks ago and must have overheard us planning it, but she's not gonna get away with it."

*************************************************************

Vin rode up and hitched his horse in front of the saloon. Nathan and Josiah were sitting outside enjoying a cup of coffee and the fresh morning air. "I rode the entire route ta where they were ta meet the train but couldn't find a thing," he stated, "Apparently there was a rainstorm out that way and it washed out all the tracks. I'm gonna get me some breakfast, a fresh horse, and some grub for the road and start out again."

"Maybe I'll go with you this time," said Josiah.

"Me too," said Nathan, "they must have gotten in to some sort of trouble and you may need some extra help. They may need some doctoring as well; I'll go grab my medical bag just in case."

"I'll let J.D. know we'll probably be gone a few days," said the preacher, "He should be able to see to things at the jail and Buck can stay and watch after Ezra's saloon. If he needs Buck's help Inez will be able to manage the saloon by herself for a while."

"Sounds good," replied the tracker.

With in the hour the three were ready to ride with J.D. on hand to see them off.

"Take care of things J.D.," said Vin as he mounted his horse.

"No problem," he answered, "You can count on Buck and me. Try and get word to us as soon as you find out anything."

"Will do," Vin replied as he nudged his horse away from the hitching post.

With that the three lawmen galloped out of town in search of their two missing companions.

*************************************************************

Chris and Zee walked outside of the cabin and together they began to collect the firewood. They brought it back towards the cabin where an ax lay on a chopping block. "It needs to be split," said Zee, picking up the ax.

"I can do that," Chris replied, taking the ax from her. He started to chop the timber into kindling but swinging the ax tore at his ribs causing him excruciating pain.

"You're not well enough for that yet," said Zee, "let's leave it for later and go for a walk."

They walked down the path towards the creek. The running water made the air feel fresh. "It's really beautiful out here," said Chris looking around.

"You've always loved it here, and we've been happy here together," she lied. As they looked at each other Zee found herself irresistibly attracted to the gunfighter and drawing herself close to him, kissed him gently on the lips. Chris pulled back slightly unsure about her and the situation he found himself in. As she persisted he found himself giving in to her unable to refuse her.

*************************************************************

Starr entered the shack to see Brooke washing up some dishes. Ezra sat over by the wall, tied to a chair with his hands tied behind his back.

"Zee told me to watch him so you could have a break," she said.

"Ok, I need some clean water. I'll go out to the well and refill the bucket," said Brooke. She picked up the bucket and went outside to retrieve the fresh water.

"How's Chris?" inquired Ezra.

"He's fine, he's getting all cozy like with Zee," Starr replied. "How about you and I do likewise," she added as she strolled over to him. She looked down at him and softly stroked his face. Straddling his lap she sat down facing him and slowly began unbuttoning his shirt. She slipped her hand inside his shirt and delicately stroked his chest while she began gently kissing his neck carefully avoiding the bruises and scrapes that covered his handsome features.

Ezra began to squirm uncomfortably. "My dear lady, this is hardly the time or the place for this," he said uneasily. "Besides, I'm not quite back to my full capacity yet," he said wincing from the pain in his side.

The fiery redhead continued to kiss him relentlessly. "Oh I think this is just the medicine you need," she replied giggling, "Don't worry, Starr's gonna make it all better."

Just then the door opened and Brooke appeared with the bucket of water. "Starr!" she screamed slamming down the bucket, "he's in no condition for that! Besides…. Zee told ME to look after him; YOU'RE supposed to be collecting the supplies for the bank job!"

Reluctantly Starr stood up. "I'll be back later," she said looking down at him. Carefully cupping his chin with her hand and raising his face toward hers she leaned over and gave him one last kiss before leaving.

Brooke watched out the window as Starr walked away, steaming mad with anger and jealousy toward the redhead for trying to make a move on the handsome gambler.

*************************************************************

Chris and Zee arrived back at the cabin at dusk. "Why don't you pour us a drink while I fix us something to eat," she said.

Chris spied a bottle of bourbon and two glasses on a shelf and proceeded to do as asked. After the meal and a second glass of bourbon Chris began to feel very relaxed.

"You look like you could use some sleep," Zee said, "What do you say we go to bed."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Chris smiling.

They walked back to the bedroom and Chris removed his boots and stretched out on the bed. Zee laid down as well cuddling up next to him. Chris turned to her and they began to kiss.

*************************************************************

Starr returned to the cabin late that evening with the bag of needed supplies for the bank job. Zee came out of the bedroom when she heard her arrival. "Were you able to get the nitro?" she whispered, being careful not to awake Chris.

"Yes, I stole it from some ranch a few miles from here. Apparently they keep it on hand for blasting stumps to clear their land. They also had blasting caps and fuse. I only took what we needed so I don't think they'll notice it missing."

"Great," replied Zee, "We'll leave tomorrow night around 11 pm. It should be pretty quiet about then with no one around."

"I think you're taking an awful chance in trusting our cowboy friend. What if his memory suddenly returns?" questioned the redhead.

"Don't worry about him, he won't be any trouble," laughed Zee, "I know how to handle men, I've got him wrapped around my little finger. Besides, I think he's falling in love with me."

"I'm worried about you Zee, I saw you two down by the stream earlier today, you went way too far with him, you're starting to develop feelings for him and you're gonna get caught with your guard down."

*************************************************************

Clint Davis poured himself a shot of red-eye from a bottle that sat on the table in the rundown cabin he and his gang occupied. Virgil walked in and sat down beside him. "Jack and I have been out keeping an eye on Zee and her new man all day," he said, "she's been getting real cozy with him Clint; looks like you got some real competition on your hands there."

"Did you find out what they did with the gold?" Clint demanded.

"No, apparently there wasn't any; that stage was used as a decoy."

"SHIT!" Clint cried out.

"Wait, there's more. We found out Zee and her new boyfriend are planning to rob the First National Bank in Cimarron tomorrow night!" exclaimed Virgil.

"Well, well, well, what do you know about that?" Clint laughed, "Maybe we just better go lend them a hand."

*************************************************************

Friday evening arrived and Starr saddled the horses for the trip into town. Zee and Chris met her out by the corral with the bag of equipment needed to perform the bank job. All day long Chris had been experiencing headaches and images of his past had been trying to surface but nothing clear would come to him. Something about this whole situation just didn't feel right.

He hesitated before climbing into the saddle.

"Are you able to ride?" questioned Zee.

"I think so," Chris replied.

"Don't worry, we'll take it nice and slow," she said.

Reluctantly he mounted his horse with the two female bandits and began the journey into town.

*************************************************************

All day long Ezra had worked relentlessly to loosen the bonds that held him tied to the chair. He had finally managed to get that one loose but still there was the matter of his hands. He spied a nail sticking out of the wall several inches from where his chair was positioned. If he could manage to distract Brooke for a few minutes maybe he could scoot his chair close enough to use it to cut the rawhide strip that bound his hands. Looking for a method of distraction he noticed the empty water buck sitting on the floor. "Could I trouble you for a glass of water my dear?" he asked.

Brooke put down the medical book she was reading and picked up a cup and the dipper. Reaching down for the bucket, she realized that she used the last of it to wash the dishes. "I'll be right back," she said, "I need to refill the water bucket." As she left to go outside Ezra took the opportunity to maneuver his chair so the protruding nail was directly behind it. Using the nail as a cutting tool he began to saw furiously at the tight strips that bound his wrists. When he heard the door open he eased up so as not to draw her attention to what he was doing.

"Here you go," she said pouring the cup of water and bringing it to his lips.

Ezra took a long drink, thanked her and Brooke returned to her book.

"If I may be so bold madam, just what was it that encouraged you and your two lovely colleagues to take up a life of crime?" Ezra questioned.

Brooke looked up from her book and thought for a moment. "I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas just as the War Between the States broke out," she stated. "Our farm was attacked by confederate soldiers. They looted and burned it. My entire family was shot and I was raped, shot and left to die. Zee is the one who found me and nursed me back to health."

"I'm so sorry, I can see you've had a rough life," Ezra said empathetically. He paused for a moment before continuing "And just what sequence of events led Zee to fall by the wayside?"

"She and her husband owned a small ranch back in Amarillo; a neighbor with a larger spread wanted to buy them out but her husband refused. The neighbor was determined to get their land so he framed him for cattle rustling. Her husband was convicted, sentenced and hung and their property was given to him as restitution for the cattle they allegedly rustled. Zee got revenge by killing the rancher, and since then she's been on the run."

Ezra sighed, "This world is full of injustice."

"So what do you do for a living?" she inquired, tired of reading and eager to make conversation. "Are you and your partner US Marshals or something?"

"No, we're just paid a mere $7 a week to keep the peace in town. Actually, I'm the entrepreneur of a saloon."

"Well it must not be a very thriving business because you didn't have much on you." she stated.

Ezra appeared to be annoyed at her remark. "It gives a satisfactory return but, like most people I keep my money in a bank and not on my person."

"Well, I hope it's not the bank in Cimarron because that one's gonna be cleaned out soon," she said sarcastically.

Brooke closed her book and stood up. "Ezra, who do you think's prettier? Starr or me?" she inquired twirling a piece of her hair and standing with one hand on her hip.

Ezra smiled; he couldn't believe it, these two women were fighting over him. "I assure you you're both quite ravishing, I couldn't begin to choose one of you over the other," he replied.

Slowly she strolled over to him. "Well maybe you can tell me which one of us is the better kisser?" she said easing herself down sideways onto his lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his lips to hers and kissed him seductively. "Have you ever been kissed like that before?" she asked and proceeded to kiss him again. Ezra played along; this was the opportunity he was waiting for. He gave the leather thongs a forceful yank and they broke apart. In a flash he overpowered her drawing his arms about her tightly. Grasping her securely he removed her revolver from her holster. Brooke began to kick and scream wildly.

"Sorry my dear but your little game is over," he said angrily as he flipped her over and bound her hands tightly behind her with one of the loose strips of rawhide. "Now, you're going to tell me what you and your friends have done with Chris!"

*************************************************************

The ride into Cimarron was quiet and uneventful. They tethered the horses back behind the bank. "Starr, you stay outside and keep watch; if you see anyone or anything looks suspicious whistle," whispered Zee, "Come on Chris."

They cautiously slithered along the side of the bank to the front of the bank. Picking the lock to the bank's entrance was a cinch. Once inside they made their way to the back room towards the vault.

*************************************************************

Ezra mounted up and rode off at a fast clip toward Cimarron with Brooke bound tightly sitting directly in front of him. A few miles out he saw three riders coming fast. Unsure of who it might be Ezra slowed down and drew his gun. Suddenly he heard Vin's voice, "Ezra, it's us! Where's Chris?"

"Come on, Chris needs help!" Ezra yelled, "I'll fill you on the way!"

*************************************************************

"Ok, the first thing we need to do is putty down the seams of the door so we can create an airtight seal," whispered Zee. They proceeded to putty down the safe's seams and once done Zee pulled out Ezra's watch to look at the time. "Ok, this will take about forty minutes to harden," she stated quietly. She laid the watch down and started to get things ready for the next step which was to pump out the air so the nitro would draw into the vault.

Chris looked intently at the watch. What was it about it that seemed so familiar? He picked it up. Inside the front cover were engraved the initials E.S. Chris continued to stare at the watch. All at once it dawned on him. Ezra! This was Ezra's watch! The memory of what had transpired over the past several days suddenly came flooding back. Where were they and what were were they doing here? It came to him. They were here to rob the bank! No! He had to stop it. Somehow he had to stop it! Zee looked up as she finished what she was doing. "How much longer?" she asked.

"Oh, we have a few minutes," he said walking over to her and taking her in his arms. As they engaged in a kiss he slid his hand seductively up her thigh and quickly pulled her revolver from her holster. Spinning her around he pulled her arms tightly behind her. "Sorry Zee but your plans just fell through," he said.

Zee was overcome with anger. "You're gonna be the one who's sorry, Chris! You just signed your friend's death warrant. If we don't show back at the hideout within two hours Brooke has instructions to kill your gambler friend."

Chris laughed at this. "Brooke won't kill Ezra," he said.

Suddenly he heard the click of a gun and felt the cold steel of a revolver pushed into his back.

"Drop it Chris," he heard Starr's voice say. "Let her go."

Chris reluctantly complied. Zee pulled free and swinging herself around slapped him hard across the face. "No one makes a fool of me!" she shouted angrily, "You're going to regret that! Get over against the wall!" she screamed retrieving the gun from the floor. "Starr, tie him up good! I don't want anymore trouble from him."

Starr tied up Chris while Zee kept the gun aimed at him.

"Well, well, I just thought I might find you here," came a voice from behind them. "Drop you gun Zee; you too Starr."

"Where'd you come from Clint?" asked Zee, reluctantly dropping the gun and turning to see Clint Davis behind her pointing his gun directly at her. Virgil and Jack stood alongside him with guns pulled, grinning at the turn of events.

"I thought you and your new boyfriend might need some help with this job but it looks like you and him are through. Maybe I'll just get rid of him for you since he's turned out to be such a nuisance." Clint raised his gun and cocked it aiming it directly at Chris. As he pulled the trigger Zee screamed "Noooooo!!!" and threw herself directly in front of Chris taking the bullet intended for him. She slumped to the floor clutching her chest.

Suddenly a barrage of gunfire sounded. Clint Davis fell backwards as blood spurted from the front of his head. Virgil and Jack lay dead on the floor as well. Looking up Chris saw Ezra, Vin and Josiah all holding smoking guns. Nathan had remained outside to guard Brooke. Chris dropped to the floor and gently lifted Zee into his arms. "Why; why did you do it Zee?" he asked with surprise.

"Because…I…love you-----" she replied weakly and collapsed in his arms. Chris stared down at her, with tears welling up in his eyes.

*************************************************************

Several weeks later, Chris, Ezra, J.D., Nathan, Vin and Josiah sat at one of the tables in the Standish Tavern eating breakfast.

"I wonder how our lovely lady desperados will fair confined in Yuma prison?" questioned the gambler. "No doubt they'll be a handful for the Territory of Arizona to deal with."

"Yeah that's for sure," Chris said smiling, "Still, I'm glad you were able to save Zee," he said looking over at Nathan. "She seemed to be on the mend before the bench trial with the judge. Even after all we went through with them I can't help but have something of a soft spot inside for them."

"Yes, well you didn't have the opportunity to experience Starr and Brooke on your lap trying to take advantage of you. That was quite the ordeal," commented Ezra.

"From the looks of it, Brooke knew what she was doing when she treated you two," said Nathan. "I couldn't see any signs of infection when I checked you out."

"Maybe she can continue her medical training in prison," joked Josiah, "they just may need help in the infirmary with Starr around."

"That's for sure," said Chris, thinking back about his experiences with the fiery red-head.

Buck walked in then with a telegram he'd just received. "Guess what Chris? According to this the Zee Kendricks gang never made it to the Yuma prison."

Ezra grabbed the telegram from Bucks hand quickly scanning it. "It appears that those three lovely vixens are so alluring they convinced the guards into letting them out of the prison wagon so they could perform their morning ablutions and before they knew it they were gone."

"I don't believe it, those three women are worse than ten outlaws!" exclaimed J.D.

"Need I remind you they WERE outlaws Mr. Dunne?" Ezra replied.

"Ah hell, they couldn't have gone far," commented Vin, "we'll catch 'em."

"I sure would have liked a chance to get to know them better, there isn't a woman alive that old Buck can't handle," added Buck laughing.

"You never know Buck, you may get that opportunity if they're still around," remarked Chris.

"If I were you I'd watch my back Chris, you know what they say; Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," commented Ezra.

"Yeah, but in the end she was willing to take a bullet for me; and fortunately I have six close friends to watch my back for me," said Chris smiling.

THE END

31


End file.
